Yayoi Kusama, the artist known around the world for her distinctive use of polka dots, has died at the age of 97.
The Japanese artist worked across installation, painting, sculpture, video art and performance. Widely regarded as one of the most important modern artists to emerge from Japan, her work was instantly recognisable and attracted audiences across the globe.
News of her death was announced on her official website earlier this month.
“It is with profound sorrow that we announce the passing of Yayoi Kusama at a hospital in Tokyo on August 14,” the statement said.
Kusama was renowned for her large-scale pumpkin sculptures, immersive mirror rooms and vibrant polka-dot paintings.
Although her works sold for millions of dollars and earned worldwide acclaim, her later success contrasted sharply with a childhood marked by trauma and mental health challenges.
Born in 1929, Kusama spent part of her youth making parachutes in a military factory during World War II. During this period she experienced hallucinations that would later influence many of the recurring visual motifs in her art.
After moving to the United States in the 1950s, she spent time in Seattle before settling in New York during the height of the Pop Art movement. Her work frequently explored themes including feminism, gender equality, gay rights and anti-war activism, although it was not always fully embraced by the art establishment at the time.
During parts of the 1970s, Kusama lived as a voluntary patient at a mental health facility in Japan. From the 1990s onwards, her work received growing international recognition and commercial success.
One of her more recent collaborations was with singer Cyndi Lauper who filled her stage with red polka-dots and matching costumes for the finale of her last ever world tour.
